Territory · Compass
What moves your choices
Your values are the compass behind your decisions. Discover your priorities, from self-direction to benevolence, through Schwartz's theory.
This is a free Schwartz values test. It measures how strongly each of the ten basic human values (self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, power, security, conformity, tradition, benevolence and universalism) guides your choices, using Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values. It takes about 7 minutes: 40 statements, no sign-up. Your answers are centered (your own average subtracted) to reveal what you prioritize relative to the rest, because values are relative priorities. The result is a self-knowledge estimate, not a diagnosis.
Territory of Values · Compass
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Your values compass
Each axis is one of the ten values, in the order of Schwartz's circle: neighboring values align, opposites compete. The outline shows your relative priorities (with your average already subtracted).
Your ten values, in order
The further to the right, the more that value guides your choices, compared with the others.
The four orientations
The ten values group into four broad orientations, along two axes of tension: openness × conservation and self-enhancement × self-transcendence.
You across areas of life
How your values orientation tends to show up day to day: what to lean on and what to balance. A developmental estimate, never a verdict.
Did this result resonate with you?
How it's calculated — and the science
The test is based on Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values, one of the most validated in cross-cultural psychology. It describes ten values — self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, power, security, conformity, tradition, benevolence and universalism — organized on a circular continuum: neighboring values have compatible motivations and opposing values tend to compete with each other.
There are 40 statements (4 per value) on a 1-to-5 scale. Because values are relative priorities and each person uses the scale differently, we apply the centering recommended by Schwartz: we subtract your overall average from each value. This way, the result shows what you prioritize relative to the rest, not just whoever rates everything highly. The four higher-order orientations (openness to change, self-enhancement, conservation and self-transcendence) summarize the map along two axes of tension.
The source we work from
The canonical statement of the theory is Schwartz, S. H. (1992), “Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries”, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 25, 1–65 (doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60281-6). The author's own open-access summary, the shortest honest way in, is Schwartz (2012), “An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values”, Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1) (doi:10.9707/2307-0919.1116). Both are listed with the rest of our references under sources, and the same citation appears in our methodology.
What we take from those papers is the structure — which values exist, how they sit on the circle, and why centering is the right way to read them — not the questionnaires. The PVQ and SVS are Schwartz's own instruments; our 40 statements are original and this test is not a validated research instrument.
Frequently asked questions
What is this values test based on?
On Shalom Schwartz's Theory of Basic Human Values, which describes ten values on a circular continuum, validated across dozens of cultures. The items are original, inspired by the theory. We don't copy the PVQ questionnaire.
What are the 10 basic values?
Self-direction, stimulation, hedonism, achievement, power, security, conformity, tradition, benevolence and universalism. They sit on a circle in that order: neighbors share compatible motivations, opposites compete. The ten group into four higher-order orientations: openness to change, self-enhancement, conservation and self-transcendence. See the 10 values in full.
Is this the PVQ or the SVS?
Neither. The PVQ (Portrait Values Questionnaire) and the SVS (Schwartz Value Survey) are Schwartz's own research instruments. This test uses the same public theory (the ten values and the circular structure) with original items written for it. We don't reproduce the PVQ or SVS item sets, and this is not a validated research instrument.
Why are my answers “centered”?
Because values are relative priorities. Since each person uses the scale differently (some rate everything high, others everything low), we subtract your overall average. This reveals what you value more than the rest, the practice recommended by Schwartz.
Is having a low value bad?
No. No one prioritizes everything at once: prioritizing some values naturally puts others in the background. A “low” value just means it guides your choices less today, not that something is missing in you.
Is it free?
Yes, 100% free, no sign-up or email. Your result appears instantly and is saved only in your browser.
How long does it take?
About 6 to 8 minutes. There are 40 statements on a 1-to-5 scale.
The ten basic values, one page each
Each of Schwartz's ten values has its own page here: what the value is, what it looks like when it's a high or a low priority for you, and how it tends to show up at work, in relationships and in decisions. They're grouped below by the four higher-order orientations.
Openness to change
Self-enhancement
Conservation
Self-transcendence
Want the circle explained end to end: why neighbors agree and opposites compete? See the 10 Schwartz values in full. For the vocabulary (construct, self-report, Likert scale), the glossary has an entry for each.
Continue your atlas
See how your values talk to how you act and what interests you in Your Atlas.
Learn more — sources
Want to go deeper? Tap a source to open the official reference.